Pakistan Bomb Blast Kills 45, Wounds 150 in Karachi

A car bomb explosion outside a mosque in Karachi, Pakistan, killed 45 people Sunday and wounded about 150 others.

Police say the bomb exploded as worshippers were leaving evening prayers in a neighborhood dominated by minority Shi'ite Muslims. Several buildings caught fire and people were trapped under the rubble of structures that collapsed. Women and children are among those wounded.

Paramilitary officer Pervez Ahmad said a chemical used in the blast caught fire and spread the destruction.

No one has claimed responsibility, but Sunni Muslim militants with links to al-Qaida and the Taliban frequently target their Shi'ite neighbors across Pakistan, especially in Karachi.

According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 2,284 people died in ethnic, sectarian and political violence last year in the country's largest city.